Woes of a Huntress
by Mignun
Summary: Finished catching a magical creature, Katie returns to the Ministry of Magic with a flustered Cormac McLaggen. Non-pairing. One-shot.


**Author's Note**: Stange little one-shot that I began writing, hoping that it would be the first chapter of my new story. Instead, I had no reason to use it, and I thought it was funny. So, I decided to publish it. =) Oh! Also I'm going for PS/SS Katie Bell, not HBP Katie Bell. Just saying.  
**Disclaimer**: Don't own anything Harry Potter related.

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**The Woes of a Hunter**

A cloaked figure crept silently in the dark alleyway, ignoring the quiet pitter-patter that closely followed behind. The Pogrebin stopped when the figure stopped, and it quickly hid beneath the shadows in it's rock-like formation. It knew that the soon-to-be victim was magical. The human, in which the Creature was following, continued to walk down the narrow enclosure. With an animal-like grin on it's face, the Pogrebin started to creep along the shadows, ready to pounce on the unsuspecting witch.

The Pogrebin launched itself into the air, but the witch turned around, wand at the ready. The Pogrebin couldn't stop itself as she threw out a spell. "_Flipendo!_"

The rock-like Creature flew backwards into a wall. It felt bits of it's hard shell break off into smaller pieces. It glared at the advancing witch, cursing at her in his own Creature language.

"_Wingardium Leviosa,_" the witch said simply, and the creature found itself in the air. A look of confusion formed on his face, as the witch waved her wand. The Pogrebin was flown closer to the witch, who looked exhausted. "It's about time you've been caught. Ate two Muggles, didn't you? Be glad that it was me that found you, silly creature. If it was a member of the Ministry, you would've been killed on the spot. _Stupefy!_"

The blonde haired witch conjured up a wired box once the creature was safe to let go. With another flick of her wand, the Pogrebin was safely tucked away in the enchanted cage. Once more, she pointed her wand, and the creature began to move around. It hissed at her.

"Oh, knock it off. You know damn well that witches don't taste well," she scolded before shrinking the cage. With a small _pop! _she Disapparated from the Muggle alleyway.

"Katie?" a man's voice called from the corner. He peered into the darkness, nose turned up. "Did you catch the Pogrebin? I couldn't find the little bugger down here..."

He entered the alleyway with a huff. Realizing that his partner wasn't in sight, he too Disapparated from the site. He appeared in his office at the Ministry of Magic, fourth level, in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He sauntered over to the Containment Room, where he hoped Katie was currently residing. Pushing open the door, he sighed in relief when he saw the caged Pogrebin.

"Katie Bell, you are _mad_!" he said, walking over to the creature. Katie, who stood in front of the creature, turned to face her partner. She smiled.

"How am I mad? If you were with me, we never would've caught this bloody thing!" she countered, the smile still tugging at her lips. "Besides, you're always saying how you hate them. Why not catch it myself?"

Cormac McLaggen rolled his eyes, arms folded across his chest. "And if you were to turn around and be attacked..."

"I would've only been attacked if you were stomping around. It's a skittery thing, it is. One noise from you, and it would've flown at my head," the blonde replied; a triumphant smile on her face. Cormac furrowed his eyebrows. "Besides, I think it's about time you got your head upon a platter."

"Still mad at me for the Hinkypunk incident?"

Katie now narrowed her eyes. "I was left blind for three weeks. You know damn well how their mist can hurt a wizard! If it wasn't for you being so careless..."

"I wasn't careless! I was jumping at an opportunity! You would've done the same exact thing if you were in my position!" Cormac counted, and the Pogrebin jumped at the man's suddenness. Katie sighed, a finger at her temple. Naturally, Cormac went back to his old ways when he was wrong. Katie was used to the man since they entered Hogwarts together fifteen years ago.

She still wasn't pleased to be near him.

"Cormac, explain to me again why you became a Hunter? It's obvious you have a lack of knowledge on the subject of Magical Creatures. The only close encounter with magical creatures was that time you ate those Doxy eggs..."

The wiry haired man scowled at her. "Why do you always bring that up? It was a childish thing I did back in seventh year. That doesn't have to do with anything happening now. Besides, I'm pretty good at my job!"

"I bring it up because it proves my point at how careless you are, McLaggen. Every time I'm forced to go off with you, I either come back poisoned or with many broken bones. Then you wonder why I let you go off, _far away,_ from where the creatures are?" Katie replied loudly, poking him in the chest. She was angry with him, livid almost. She was the Head of the Hunters, at the age of twenty-six. She was unfortunately paired with him, due to his family's history in the Division. Cormac had no proper experience with creatures, nor did he even brush up his knowledge about them.

He was a horrible partner who always endangered her life.

"Name...times..." Cormac breathed, furious with Katie's outburst.

Katie gave out a laugh and picked up her hand. With her left pointer finger, she pulled back the right. "Well, the first time I went off with you to find that Acromantula, you ran away _screaming_. All of its spawns closed me and the Healers in before we had the chance to hex them. A couple of us, including me, got bitten. I was rushed off to St. Mungo's where I had to stay for three weeks to get the poison out of me."

"Yeah...what else?"

"Two," Katie began, glaring at the fair haired boy. She pushed her right middle finger back. "Four years ago, when we found that Kappa; you performed the _Aguamenti_ spell. Since you said it wrong, it kept replenishing the bowl on it's head. You surely remember when it bit both of us."

"That surely did hurt," he muttered under his breath. Katie, however, wasn't pleased.

"Do I need to remind you the time _I _found a Re'em, but _you_ were too busy trying to lure it to steal it's hide?" she said darkly; Cormac blanched when he saw the angry glint in her eye. He did remember that day when the giant oxen kicked Katie from behind, sending her flying forty feet and into the St. Louis River in Minnesota. Katie was locked in St. Mungo's (yet again) for head trauma, and she refused to return to the States.

"Oh, _that_ incident," he mumbled.

Katie was about to open her mouth when the Containment Room door. Their boss, Mr. Newt Scamander Jr., entered the room. With glee, he rushed over to the sleeping Pogrebin and picked the cage up. Startled, and still quite angry at any magical person, the creature began screaming.

"What a lovely catch, Miss Bell!" he exclaimed, looking the creature over. Once done, he glanced over at the pair. "Not hurt again, are you? McLaggen do something?"

Cormac narrowed his eyes while Katie genuinely smiled. "No, no Mr. Scamander. I'm fine, and Cormac didn't do anything to harm me. In fact, I was _just_ telling him at what a wonderful opportunity his missed in catching the Pogrebin."

"My, my," Mr. Scamander said, lowering his wire-rimmed glasses to look at the young man. Cormac instantly shrank back at the glint in the older man's eyes. "McLaggen, what did I tell you about slacking off? Just because Miss Bell is the Head, doesn't mean she can't do everything by herself. I'd be upset to lose my best Hunter _that_ way..."

Katie smirked when the old wizard almost skipped out of the room, the cage in his hand. She turned back to a defeated Cormac. "If I was you, I would get started on the paper work. I mean, I for one am exhausted. Had to make sure I wasn't eaten, you know."


End file.
